NIOSH uses robotic arms to test healthcare PPE, teen workers get safety info from OSHA and FairWarning sheds a light on the hazards faced by small farmers in the U.S. These were among the occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Every day, an average of 137 workers in the United States lose their lives to diseases and
illnesses caused by on-the-job exposures to hazards like silica dust, asbestos, and a wide variety
of toxic chemicals. That means every year, roughly 50,000 people die from occupational
illnesses, and the toll is likely much higher because of underreporting and incomplete statistics.
Three retired New York City Fire Department (FDNY) with 9/11 illnesses died within 48 hours this week, a stark reminder that the death toll from the terrorist attacks continues to climb, going far beyond the 343 members of the FDNY who were killed that day. News sources say the latest victims are retired FDNY Lt. Timothy O’Neill, firefighter Kevin Lennon Fire Marshal Michael Andreachi.
The most dangerous jobs in the U.S.; good news and bad news about opioid use and evidence mounts about the hazards of e-cigarettes. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Cal/OSHA has issued serious health and safety citations to Underground
Construction Co., Inc. of Benicia after two of its employees contracted Valley Fever. The
workers were exposed to the fungal disease while using hand tools to dig trenches in
Kings, Fresno and Merced counties—areas where the soil is known to contain harmful
spores that cause the infection.
Chemicals are used in manufacturing to make everything from food containers to your favorite pair of shoes. One such chemical is styrene, a colorless, strong-smelling liquid used to make plastics and rubber for these products and others, including insulation, fiberglass, pipes, vehicle parts, and carpet backing.
During the manufacturing process, chemical vapors contaminate the air.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigations have shown that sufficient levels of work-related exposure to certain chemical vapors in flavorings can cause severe, irreversible lung disease. These chemicals, diacetyl and its closely related substitute 2,3-pentanedione, can be added to flavorings like the butter in microwave popcorn.
A NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation report presented findings of an agency investigation at an engine machining plant where employees were exposed to metalworking fluids, or MWFs. The union representing the employees had requested the evaluation because of concerns that exposure to MWFs had caused respiratory symptoms and dermatitis among workers.
Seventeen years out from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, nearly 10,000 first responders and others who were in the World Trade Center area have been diagnosed with cancer. More than 2,000 deaths have been attributed to 9/11 illnesses.
By the end of 2018, many expect that more people will have died from their toxic exposure from 9/11 than were killed on that terrible Tuesday.
At the AIHce 2018 Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award Lecture, Mark Stenzel, CIH, FAIHA, argued that industrial hygienists should place greater emphasis on estimating exposures relative to conducting sampling. Stenzel, an industrial hygiene consultant and the 2018 recipient of AIHA’s Cummings Award for outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of industrial hygiene, made his remarks on the final day of AIHce EXP 2018.
